Batgirl #1 is written by Gail Simone and penciled by Ardian Syaf and Vincente Cifuentes with cover art by Adam Hughes. Gail Simone is best known for her work with Birds of Prey, but has penned numerous story arcs spanning from the Secret Six to Deadpool to Wonder Woman.
The DC Comics website describes Batgirl #1 as follows:
Barbara Gordon is back as Batgirl – and she's going to have to face the city's most horrifying new villains as well as the dark secrets from her past. You won't want to miss this stunning debut issue from fan-favorite BIRDS OF PREY writer Gail Simone!
Personal Thoughts: I highly recommend reading Alan Moore’s ‘A Killing Joke’ before reading DC’s new Batgirl #1. If you are not familiar with this famous 1988 graphic novel it was never a serialized run, but rather billed solely as graphic novel intended to cause a stir as well as provide some semblance of an origin story for the infamous comic book villain, the Joker. The story directly relates to Batgirl #1 and is one of the few story arcs that is not being removed from the DC continuity. Within the beautifully drawn and colored pages of the ‘Killing Joke’ Barbra Gordon is grievously wounded, which leads her without the use of her legs.
Prior, in the DC Universe she transforms from Batgirl to Oracle. This new incarnation of Barbra acts a sort informational hub for the rest of the Bat Family and the Justice League. Within the new continuity Barbra was till injured by the Joker, but after three years of rehabilitation she has regained the use of her legs and is now trying to return to her old life. However, because of the incident and resulting struggles her confidence, physical strength, and demeanor have drastically weakened.
The story is well written and Simone is a talented writer, which bleeds wonderfully in her well executed narrative. Batgirl, however, came of as irresponsible and careless. After experiencing such trauma and humiliation from the Joker in the Killing Joke it is perfectly understandable that Batgirl, aka Barbra Gordon, would be afraid, unsure of herself, and need to rebuild her confidence, but to quickly dive back into her alter ego seems rash and in all probability cause the death of an innocent.
If DC were truly focusing on diversity they would continue onward with the character Oracle. Oracle was a strong handicapped character that represented the power and strength that could be drawn from such a terrible incident. She was not incapacitated, but rather emboldened by the incident. Now that they have reverted her back to her old alter ego she comes off as reckless and whiney, which for any ‘superhero’ is terribly unbecoming.
However, if any writer would be able to transition between reckless and whiney to strong and empowered it would be Gail Simone, so more likely than not I will at least be reading through the next couple of issues to see how the Batgirl’s first plot unfolds.
Due to DC’s lack of diversity and the wobbly start to the character’s growth I give Batgirl #1 three-and-a-half stars out of five. Check back here for more updates on DC’s new universe throughout the month of September.
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